Cases of Covid-19 in the US now account for roughly 20% of cases worldwide, with warnings that deaths could reach 240,000
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Coronavirus is now contaminating Europe’s democracy | Jarosław Kuis and Karolina Wigura
Viktor Orbán is using the pandemic to seize more power. This backsliding could permanently change the face of the EU
To say that Europe is united by its divisions is an exaggeration – but only a small one. Closing national borders during the pandemic may have been a rational health response, but the longer term political consequences become more troubling when we look at the order in which European governments began to reimpose frontiers.
Italy made the decision on 10 March, when the number of confirmed cases had already exceeded 10,000. Over the next five days, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary closed their borders one after the other, even though by that time in any of them the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases had not reach a hundred.
Continue reading...Afghanistan braces for coronavirus surge as migrants pour back from Iran
Returnees flood across the border after lockdown leads to loss of jobs, amid warnings that influx threatens health catastrophe
More than 130,000 Afghans have fled the coronavirus outbreak convulsing Iran to return home to Afghanistan amid fears they are bringing new infections with them to the conflict-ridden and impoverished country.
The huge spike in Afghans crossing the porous border from Iran, in one of the biggest cross-border movements of the pandemic, has led to mounting fears in the humanitarian community over the potential impact of new infections carried from Iran, one of the countries worst affected by the virus.
Continue reading...Coronavirus has delivered political consensus to New Zealand – but for how long?
Jacinda Ardern has got the support of the nation, but after the lockdown, when the job losses mount, the government will need all the courage it can muster
Jacinda Ardern acted decisively in an attempt to get ahead of the Covid-19 curve, putting New Zealand into strict lockdown far earlier than other western leaders. It was a bold decision with massive economic implications. The public are listening to their prime minister and are united behind her. But the road ahead is littered with pitfalls as the nation comes to terms with the economic and social cost, and nervously waits to see whether these measures will deliver the knock-out blow to the virus in New Zealand.
So far, there has been extraordinary buy-in to the lockdown, with opinion surveys showing extremely high levels of support. Ardern’s directive to “be kind” to one another during the crisis, has become ubiquitous. There is an overwhelming consensus that, while the individual and societal costs are huge, the right call has been made.
Continue reading...Teargas, beatings and bleach: the most extreme Covid-19 lockdown controls around the world
Violence and humiliation used to police coronavirus curfews around globe, often affecting the poorest and more vulnerable
As coronavirus lockdowns have been expanded globally, billions of people have found that they are now faced with unprecedented restrictions. Police across the world have been given licence to control behaviour in a way that would normally be extreme even for an authoritarian state.
Related: ‘We can’t go back to normal’: how will coronavirus change the world?
Continue reading...Coronavirus US live: Donald Trump predicts ‘a very, very painful two weeks’
- Amazon fires worker who led New York warehouse strike
- Detroit: America’s next Covid-19 hotspot prepares for surge
- CNN’s Chris Cuomo diagnosed with coronavirus
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Dr. Fauci said “I believe we acted early,” in response to a question about whether the US could have done more, earlier. But he conceded that earlier action could have helped.
Dr. Birx, as well, evaded the question, asserting that it remains to be seen whether the disease was spreading through the US in February or earlier.
Fact check: Hydroxychloroquine cure
Trump once again touted hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus cure, asserting that it won’t kill people because it has already been used to treat other conditions. But the drug can have serious side effects even when it is used as recommended, to treat malaria, as well as lupus and arthritis.
Continue reading...Coronavirus in Australia: how many cases are there? Map, latest numbers and statistics
We bring together all the Covid-19 confirmed cases, data and stats from NSW, Victoria, Queensland, SA, WA, Tasmania, ACT and NT to get a broad picture of the Australian outbreak and track the impact of government response
Due to the difference in reporting times between states, territories and the federal government, it can be difficult to get a current picture of how many confirmed cases of coronavirus there are in Australia.
Here, we’ve brought together all the figures in one place, along with comparisons with other countries.
Continue reading...Food baskets for vulnerable lowered from balconies in Italy – video
People in Naples have been filling bread baskets with hot and cold food, and lowering them from their balconies for the homeless and people struggling during the nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The initiative started in one street, but has been copied by other residents in the city. Lucarriello, who filled a basket, said it was important to look after each other while people waited for state intervention
Continue reading...UK care home staff ‘at breaking point’ as coronavirus cases rise
Care workers and homes report insufficient PPE and lack of clear government guidance
Britain’s care homes are in danger of being overwhelmed by the coronavirus, with staff warning they are at “breaking point” and the country’s biggest charitable provider revealing confirmed or suspected cases in more than half of its facilities.
MHA, which runs more than 220 facilities, said 750 of its staff – more than one in ten – are unable to work, and that confirmed deaths from the disease are rising.
Continue reading...‘It’s like being on eBay’: US states competing to buy ventilators, says Cuomo – video
The New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, spoke out against the current bidding wars over ventilators, as each of the 50 US states and the Federal Emergency Management Agency were purchasing essential equipment separately.
'It's like being on eBay with 50 other states bidding on a ventilator', said Cuomo, who also revealed his brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo, has been diagnosed with coronavirus, arguing the diagnosis underscored the need to practice social distancing
- Coronavirus US live: Cuomo says bidding war for ventilators is 'like being on eBay'
- Chris Cuomo diagnosed with coronavirus
How Trump has reacted to journalists questioning his handling of the coronavirus crisis – video
With Donald Trump under increasing scrutiny over his approach to the coronavirus crisis in the US, the president has used his daily press briefings to lash out at the media. With more than 165,000 recorded cases, the US is now the worst-affected country in the world.
- Trump accuses media of wanting to keep economy shut to hurt his reelection
- Trump throws tantrum over coronavirus question: 'You're a terrible reporter'
Outrage over denial of amnesty for Turkish political prisoners
Government’s critics not among 90,000 inmates eligible for early release due to coronavirus
Anger is growing in Turkey that while the government is preparing to grant amnesties to up to one third of the country’s prison population in order to combat the coronavirus pandemic, jailed human rights activists, journalists and opposition politicians will not be among those considered for early release.
The Turkish parliament discussed a legal amendment on Tuesday which should make 90,000 of the country’s approximately 300,000 prisoners eligible for either house arrest or parole by halving sentences for offences including non pre-mediatated murder and organised crime. Early drafts of the bill, which would also have covered sex offenders and those convicted of gender-based violence, were dropped after being met with outrage from women’s rights groups.
Continue reading...How will the UK’s £75m coronavirus repatriation work?
Key questions around the government’s plan to rescue 300,000 stranded Britons
The government has announced a £75m rescue mission to repatriate an estimated 300,000 British stranded abroad because of the coronavirus outbreak. How will this work and who will be selected for a flight home?
Continue reading...Authoritarian leaders may use Covid-19 crisis to tighten their grip
Hungary’s PM insists extreme measures are only to fight the pandemic, others are not so sure
The coronavirus has already overwhelmed medical services, grounded flights and halted economic growth, but one of its most enduring effects could be to usher in a political age in which soft authoritarians have turned harder, and the surveillance state becomes a way of life even in some democracies.
In Hungary, after a set of measures introduced on Monday, it is now a criminal offence to spread misinformation about coronavirus, and the prime minister, Viktor Orbán, can rule by decree for an indefinite period. In neighbouring Serbia, soldiers patrol the streets as part of the coronavirus response plan. In Moscow, authorities are reportedly mulling measures that would require everyone who wants to go outside to submit the reasons online, and then be tracked via their smartphones.
Continue reading...Scottish lawyers call plan to suspend jury trials ‘kneejerk reaction’
Courtroom lawyers say plans designed to fight Covid-19 are ‘premature, disproportionate and ill advised’
Lawyers have attacked plans to suspend jury trials for up to 18 months in Scotland to cope with the coronavirus crisis as a “knee-jerk reaction instigated by panic”.
The Scottish government is pushing through a swathe of emergency powers to help the criminal justice system and public adapt to the pandemic in a bill expected to be approved by Holyrood on Wednesday in a single day.
Continue reading...Coronavirus: Briton returns to UK on repatriation flight from Peru – video
John McNamee, 32, returned to the UK on Tuesday after two weeks in an Airbnb in Lima while the whole of Peru has been under strict lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 1,000 Britons had registered with the UK embassy in Peru for assistance in returning home due to a near total absence of commercial flights and McNamee was one of about 200 on the first repatriation flight out of the country
Continue reading...Hungary’s emergency law ‘incompatible with being in EU’, say MEPs group
Measures voted on Monday will allow Viktor Orbán to rule by decree without time limits
Hungary’s emergency law that enables the prime minister, Viktor Orbán, to rule by decree without time limits is incompatible with being in the EU, the European parliament’s liberal group said on Tuesday.
Passing measures ostensibly to tackle coronavirus, the Hungarian parliament on Monday voted to give Orbán the power to rule by decree with no clear end-date. The law also introduces jail terms for spreading disinformation about the virus, raising fears it could be used to neuter critics of the government’s approach.
Continue reading...Couple live-streams wedding during coronavirus lockdown – video
A ban on weddings, and other public events did not deter one couple from 'tying the knot' in Slough over the weekend. While it wasn't a legally recognised ceremony, David Howell and Brenda Rolfe made vows to each other in front of their pastor who appeared on a YouTube live stream. After the ceremony guests were invited to the wedding reception on the Zoom app, and asked to wear wedding attire (from the waist up at least) and bring cake to eat
Continue reading...Norway’s hazmat booksellers: keeping Oslo reading during coronavirus – video
Two Oslo bookshop owners choose to go delivery-only to keep their business afloat at the start of lockdown. Pil Cappelen Smith and Anders Cappelen deliver books wearing full hazmat suits and gas masks in order to raise local awareness of the seriousness of the situation. But as the global crisis worsens, they embark on one last delivery run before deciding to shut up shop completely
Continue reading...Hampshire 112-year-old officially recognised as world’s oldest man
Bob Weighton presented with certificate at assisted living home where he is isolating
A Hampshire resident has been officially recognised as the world’s oldest man by Guinness World Records.
Bob Weighton, who is 112 years and two days old, was presented with his certificate by staff at the assisted living home where he lives, while keeping the appropriate distance because he is isolating.
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